My dog with pancreatitis won't eat. Are Zylkene & probiotics safe?

Regarding probiotics, Purina's Forti Flora is very good. Pets with pancreatitis also benefit from a special low fat diet. The brand Royal Canin makes a food for pets with pancreatitis called Low Fat and it's only 7% fat (for comparison, a normal fat content for normal food is about 25% though this varies brand to brand). I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I am very sorry you are dealing with these issues and differing medical approaches to Zoe's care. The short answer is that pancreatitis is a disease which can be approached in many ways, and none of the advise given is wrong. Only different opinions. I personally prefer hills ID low fat for pancreatitis or boiled boneless chicken breast and steamed rice. Pain relief medication, medication for diarrhoea and also anti-nausea medication are all very helpful medications to treat pancreatitis. Pancreatitis can be a chronic disease and dogs need a change to their diet for a week, months, to even for life. It depends how well Zoe's pancreas heals in the next few weeks. I personally have never had to surgically treat a pancreatitis case, and find medical control the best course of action. The cases I have seen usually present with acute signs which require a short hospital stay to stablize. The dogs then go home with some degree of chronic pancreatitis which may or may not present with flare-ups and return visits to the hospital. I hope this is helpful and that Zoe feels better soon.

Hi and thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I would stick with a low fat prescription diet such as Hills I/D or Royal Canin Low fat gastrointestinal. Continue this diet until your one pet is over their pancreatitis episode. Then you can slowly transition them back to a senior diet which is typically lower in calories and higher in protein and carbs. My top brands are Royal Canin, Hill’s Science Diet, Evo or Eukanuba. Best of luck with your fur babies and their new diets. Take care!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While you could administer probiotics in theory, I prefer to stay away from anything that is not part of the diet or medications while patients are recovering from pancreatitis. Perhaps wait for Meagan to be recovered from her episode of pancreatitis and then you may start her on probiotics. Good luck!

I'm sorry to hear that Fiona is dealing with pancreatitis. As Dr. Elizabeth mentioned, there are several low fat prescription diets on the market that can be helpful for longterm use. However, while you're dealing with this current vomiting issue, I agree that a homemade bland diet is perfectly reasonable. Since Fiona won't eat the rice, you can certainly try other starchy options. Plain potatoes or pasta are perfectly reasonable options, provided that you don't season them or use any butter or oil. Just be sure to mix them with a lean protein source, such as boiled chicken breast. The goal with any bland diet is to keep it as low in fat and simple as possible. If her vomiting continues, certainly have her rechecked by her veterinarian. I hope that she feels better soon!

The current recall has been confined to a specific range of the hills canned/wet diets and if she has been doing well on the active longevity kibble with no flare ups of pancreatitis I would be very slow to consider changing as this may trigger relapses which may be more difficult to control as she is getting older. A very low fat and restricted diet is recommended in pancreatitis patients, this is difficult to prepare accurately at home over the long term to maintain a correctly balanced diet. My preferred choice in such patients is royal canin gastrointestinal low fat or calibra gastro-pancreas but many light and senior diets are also ok in stable cases

I am assuming your vet suspects Henry has a chicken intolerance that may be contributing to the pancreatitis bouts. Hill's z/d and Royal Canin HP are what are called "hydrolyzed protein diets." These diets are designed such that the proteins have been processed to be broken down to such small pieces that the body won't recognize them as something that could mount an allergic or intolerance response. If your cat won't eat these foods THAT'S OK! There are other appropriate foods available, because another possible approach to concerns for allergies and intolerances is to use a different protein altogether; these are called "novel protein diets." There are some high quality foods available that may be very helpful; including this diet-- Royal Canin PR (protein source is peas and rabbit): https://www.royalcanin.com/products/royal-canin-veterinary-diet-feline-selected-protein-adult-pr-dry-cat-food-8.8-lb-bag/762188 Or Hills d/d (rather than z/d): protein source is peas and venison) https://www.hillspet.com/cat-food/pd-dd-feline-venison-and-green-pea-formula-dry If you do decide to cook for him, check out the site balanceit.com which will help you with a recipe. While diet can be a factor with pancreatitis, and we definitely worry about a high fat diet predisposing to the condition, no one knows exactly why some cats develop pancreatitis. Here is some good information on pancreatitis is cats. https://www2.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/feline-pancreatitis-serious I hope that helps you!! Thanks for asking PetCoach!